Memories
by writer03
Summary: This is a look at Elizabeth's life now that Mark is gone and how she is coping.


Disclaimer: I don't own ER or any of the characters.  If I did, then Mark would have never died.

Author's Note: This is a look into Elizabeth's life now that Mark is gone.

**Memories**

By: writer03

"Mama?  Mama?" Elizabeth rolled over in bed, yawning.  Her eyes were still closed but she could feel the toddler climbing into bed next to her.  "Mama, are you awake?" Ella asked.

            "Yes I am.  Why are you awake?  It's too early to get up.  The sun is still asleep. See?"  Elizabeth said, pointing to the window.  Ella hopped out of bed and said:

            "Wake up, Sun!"  She giggled and said, "The sun didn't wake up."  Elizabeth glanced at the clock.

            "Just wait a couple of hours and it will.  I promise," Elizabeth said.  She closed her eyes and she could smell the coffee from the kitchen.  Mark walked in the room carrying a tray with a coffee cup and toast with butter spread all the way to the edges, just like she likes it.  Mark set the tray in front of her and gave her one of his I-love-you-so-much smiles.  "What are you doing here?  You were gone and …" Elizabeth started to say.

            "I never left you and I never will," He reassured her.  Elizabeth gazed into his eyes as Ella crawled into his lap.  She leaned in to kiss him ….

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.  Elizabeth groaned and hit the snooze on her alarm.  _Another dream that Mark was still here_, she thought.  _Are they ever going to end?  She sat up slowly, trying to wake up from a dream that seemed so real.  Her curly red hair was hanging in her face so she pulled it back, not caring how it looked.  She pulled her knees up to her chest, pulling the quilt around her as she looked around the large yellow room.  There were mementos, pictures, and reminders of Mark in every corner of the room.  Like for instance, take the picture of them of the time they had decided to go camping…_

"I don't think that you are putting the tent together right.  It's not supposed to be falling down every time there is a slight breeze," Elizabeth said to Mark as he struggled with the tent.  He didn't answer her at first.  He was trying to win a battle against his current enemy – a blue tent.  Finally he said:

"I give up.  There is no way that anyone could put this tent together," he said.

"Mark Greene, you can intubate a patient with your eyes closed.  You can deliver a baby with a hand tied behind your back.  You can start an IV in your sleep.  You're telling me that you can't follow the directions on how to put a tent together?  I can do that!" She told him.  _How hard can it be,_ she thought.

Two hours later Elizabeth wanted to throw the tent in the lake.  She didn't want to have to face Mark and tell him that she was wrong.

            "Elizabeth?  How's the tent coming?" he asked, trying to hold back a grin.

            "Oh, Mark, that was worse than any aortic repair that I have ever done.  Who wrote those directions, the Irish?" she said.

"Hey, watch it!  I'm part Irish, you know," he said.

            "I am _so _sorry, Mark," she told him with mock sympathy.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" he said as he started to chase her.  She started to run between the trees but he was getting closer.  She started to run faster and soon she couldn't hear him.

"Mark?" she said, looking all around for him.  Suddenly he jumped out from behind a tree.

"BOO!  You can't be too careful, I'm a dangerous man," he said.  He reached down and kissed her holding her close.  He pulled back, not letting her go, and said: "I love you."

"I love you too," she answered back.

Elizabeth shook her head and climbed out of bed.  She slowly made her way to the kitchen.  Katherine, the babysitter, was in there pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning," Katherine said, cheerfully.

"Morning, Katherine.  I thought that I smelled coffee," Elizabeth said, still trying to shake off the dream that had seemed so real.

"I am sorry that I am here earlier than usual.  I just thought that you might have wanted to get an early start this morning," Katherine said.  Elizabeth poured her own cup of coffee and began to sip it.

"It's not a problem," Elizabeth said.  "I'm just going to grab a frozen waffle from the freezer."  She walked over and opened the freezer, the same freezer that Mark had hidden the ring in when she first saw the house…

"Where are we, Mark?" Elizabeth asked.  They were sitting in the driveway of a beautiful blue two story home.  "Is that your surprise, having dinner with friends?"

"Well, I'm having dinner with you and you are my best friend, so yeah.  I am having dinner with a friend.  Are we eating with other people?  Nope, just the two of us.  Let's go in and look around."  Elizabeth reached for the car door but Mark stopped her.  "Allow me."  He jumped out of the car and walked around to open the door for her.

"Thank you," she said, as he escorted her to the door.  Elizabeth reached for the doorbell but Mark produced a key.  He unlocked the door and pushed the wooden door open.  Elizabeth stepped in and looked around.  "It's empty, Mark."

"I know, I just bought it," Mark said.

"I can't believe it.  It's huge!" Elizabeth exclaimed, checking out all of the little details of each room.

"I could get a roommate," Mark suggested.

"You will not," Elizabeth told him, still wondering around the house.

"Come see this refrigerator," Mark said.  Elizabeth ignored him.

"Look!  It has a nice deck.  That will be great in the summer," she said.

"The ice maker is something to see.  The whole thing is brand new," he said.

"Check out the dining room.  We could have friends over!" Elizabeth said, getting more and more excited by the minute.

"There is a lot of storage space in the freezer," he said.  Elizabeth sighed and just looked at him.  "Just take a look."  Elizabeth decided to humor him and opened the freezer.  She froze and closed it.  She looked at Mark, tears forming in her eyes.  Mark opened the freezer door and pulled out an open jewelry box with a diamond ring.  Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hands.  "I want you to know that I love you so much and I want to wake up every morning next to you for the rest of my life.  It would make me so happy, Elizabeth Corday, if you would be my wife."  Elizabeth stood there stunned.  She was too happy to speak.  "Aren't you going to answer me?"  Elizabeth nodded, still unable to speak.  "Can I take that as a yes?"  Elizabeth nodded again and they started to kiss.  Mark's strong arms pulled her in close as she wrapped her arms around him.  It was one of the best moments of her life and she couldn't wait to …

"Elizabeth?  Don't you need to leave soon?  You don't want to be late," Katherine said, interrupting her memories from the past.  Elizabeth realized that she had been standing in front of the freezer holding the door open.

"Thanks, Katherine.  I've got a twelve hour shift so I'll be back this evening," Elizabeth said.  She went back to the room that she and Mark had shared to find a pair of scrubs for work.

AN: What did you think?  Should there be more?


End file.
